Speculation: LA Kings News, Rumors, Roster Thread part VII

[Herby]

Are they better off being put in a role they are not ready for? I thought last year and still do that signing Danault and trading for Arvidsson was a mistake because the rebuild was not anywhere near complete. A rebuild without a 1c and 1d is a waste of time and as of now we don't have a 1c and unsure about the 1d. For the record I would have traded Kopitar and Doughty for futures at the start of the rebuild and saved 21 million a year.

In hindsight that would have been the best move. Trading Doughty would have sent the message

Doughty would have for sure waived if he knew the Kings were going into a rebuild that would result in 5 top 10 pick seasons. Keep Kopitar if he wouldn’t waive and put him on billboards and help ease in the young players.

Blake’s rebuild on the fly with Doughty and Kopitar was only going to work if the Kings hit big on a couple of those picks.

 

[KINGS17]

Are they better off being put in a role they are not ready for? I thought last year and still do that signing Danault and trading for Arvidsson was a mistake because the rebuild was not anywhere near complete. A rebuild without a 1c and 1d is a waste of time and as of now we don't have a 1c and unsure about the 1d. For the record I would have traded Kopitar and Doughty for futures at the start of the rebuild and saved 21 million a year.

You are better off finding out if Byfield has any chance of filling the 1C role by giving him top end wingers.

It's not like Kopitar and Danault won't still be on the roster to take the tough defensive assignments.

It is true, the Kings have yet to know what they have down the middle in a 1C, 1D, and goaltender. They better start finding out if the players they drafted even have a shot at it.

I really like the idea of getting either Fiala or Bertuzzi to play along the wing of Byfield, to help him out. 3 strong scoring lines really goes a long way in distribution of minutes and keeping workload at a more manageable number.

But, I don't know how much Fiala will ask for and Bertuzzi's next contract does kind of scare me.

Kopi when asked about Kaliyev playing with him next year said there is as growth element involved. I wonder if he thinks he is ready.

Gonna be an interesting offseason that is for sure. Most likely the most important to put this rebuild on the correct path.

There is a growth element involved? Well, then Anze you better come to camp with some fertilizer and your watering can. That is part of your job.

 

[King'sPawn]

Are they better off being put in a role they are not ready for? I thought last year and still do that signing Danault and trading for Arvidsson was a mistake because the rebuild was not anywhere near complete. A rebuild without a 1c and 1d is a waste of time and as of now we don't have a 1c and unsure about the 1d. For the record I would have traded Kopitar and Doughty for futures at the start of the rebuild and saved 21 million a year.

I was all for the Danault signing and Arvidsson trade, because this was a great year to bridge the prospects into scoring/key roles while having good vets and journeymen to insulate them. That roster I put forth in the other thread that you said was a "lottery roster" was what I hoped to happen THIS year. For the exact reason of giving the prospects a chance to see how well they handle the specific roles they are penciled to be long term.

Of course, if they struggled, then the responsibilities can be dialed back.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Legit #1C and #1D are probably the most important things you want out of high draft picks. Doughty is still a legit #1D but it was nice to be able to take a defenseman with the Top 10 pick last year as Doughty isn't getting any younger.

Kopitar is older and the Kings had a 2C when Blake took over in Carter that was a 2003 draftee so, again, old. Blake reels off four straight first round C selections in an effort to cover for Kopitar's eventual decline and--in the case of Byfield--fully replace Kopitar's production for hopefully the next 10 years or so.

Well, he grabbed Danault because nobody was ready to cover for Kopitar's decline this season and he wasn't sure that he even had a legit 2C outside of Byfield for the future.

This, again, is why Byfield must hit. You can miss on Vilardi and even Turcotte if Byfield develops into the star player he was touted as being. If he is a miss, the Kings will be toiling in mediocrity. Rag on Kopitar all you want but this run-down version of him still led this team in points and the refrain on here is that he can't be the #1C next season.

This run down version of him only led the team in points because he was force-fed powerplay time, he lost the 5v5/ES battles. Danault and Arvidsson SIGNIFICANTLY outscored him at 5v5 (arvy in only 66 games) and Moore tied him. Only 5 regular players had a worse GA/60, as well. He was getting absolutely crushed in his role. I say that with respect to everything he has done over the years, but Father Time officially came for AK this year and it was not pretty.

He can't be the 1C next year. He can be the 2C/3C with 16-18 minutes, but the 22+ with 1:45 on each power play has to stop and start being turned over to the kids.

 

[johnjm22]

You are better off finding out if Byfield has any chance of filling the 1C role by giving him top end wingers.

Absolutely. You get a chance to draft a prospect like Byfield maybe once every decade or so.

King should be all-in on his development. Bringing in another center to take his place doesn't make the Kings a contender. So might as well try and develop him.

 

[johnjm22]

This run down version of him only led the team in points because he was force-fed powerplay time, he lost the 5v5/ES battles. Danault and Arvidsson SIGNIFICANTLY outscored him at 5v5 (arvy in only 66 games) and Moore tied him. Only 5 regular players had a worse GA/60, as well. He was getting absolutely crushed in his role. I say that with respect to everything he has done over the years, but Father Time officially came for AK this year and it was not pretty.

He can't be the 1C next year. He can be the 2C/3C with 16-18 minutes, but the 22+ with 1:45 on each power play has to stop and start being turned over to the kids.

What you're saying here is painful, but it has to be said. The truth hurts.

A lot of Kopitar's points were coincidental assists, and his defensive play has become overrated.

He should be playing 15-17 minutes per night, or he should be traded.

The organization, and the coaching staff, can't keep pretending like he's something that he's not.

 

[tomd]

This run down version of him only led the team in points because he was force-fed powerplay time, he lost the 5v5/ES battles. Danault and Arvidsson SIGNIFICANTLY outscored him at 5v5 (arvy in only 66 games) and Moore tied him. Only 5 regular players had a worse GA/60, as well. He was getting absolutely crushed in his role. I say that with respect to everything he has done over the years, but Father Time officially came for AK this year and it was not pretty.

He can't be the 1C next year. He can be the 2C/3C with 16-18 minutes, but the 22+ with 1:45 on each power play has to stop and start being turned over to the kids.

You know he'll be the 1C on opening night.

 

[BigKing]

This run down version of him only led the team in points because he was force-fed powerplay time, he lost the 5v5/ES battles. Danault and Arvidsson SIGNIFICANTLY outscored him at 5v5 (arvy in only 66 games) and Moore tied him. Only 5 regular players had a worse GA/60, as well. He was getting absolutely crushed in his role. I say that with respect to everything he has done over the years, but Father Time officially came for AK this year and it was not pretty.

He can't be the 1C next year. He can be the 2C/3C with 16-18 minutes, but the 22+ with 1:45 on each power play has to stop and start being turned over to the kids.

I completely get that but my statement was more an indictment of the entire roster and--more to the point--scoring from the center position. I love Danault but he's the 2C and shouldn't be anywhere near the PP either so who is the center to force feed power play time to?

Hopefully that can be Byfield next season but, again, that just shows how important Byfield is to this all working out. The entire idea of Turcotte and then Byfield is that they would be legit contributors while Kopitar is still good and then be "the guys" once Kopitar was done. Turcotte is a total question mark as even an NHL player and Byfield has been a disappointment and, yes, it is not an overreaction to say he has been a disappointment.

I know Eichel isn't revered too much but this is why some of us were okay with swinging a deal for him: it would not have cost Byfield and you could really hedge your bets at the center position. The pressure is on Byfield now even more than before and kudos to any Kings fan who isn't worried about his development so far.

What you're saying here is painful, but it has to be said. The truth hurts.

A lot of Kopitar's points were coincidental assists, and his defensive play has become overrated.

He should be playing 15-17 minutes per night, or he should be traded.

The organization, and the coaching staff, can't keep pretending like he's something that he's not.

Sorry for the double post but just wanted to point out that coincidental or second assists are officially known as "Modry Points" and a good amount of those can get you an all-star game appearance.

Edit - The site automatically takes a double post into a multi-quote...pretty slick.

 

[bmr]

You know he'll be the 1C on opening night.

He can and will be the 1C next year. He will also have the most minutes among forwards on the team, 100% guaranteed. He still has some life yet - he's 34, not 44.

Look at his statistics over the past 5 years. He hasn't dropped off at all. Slightly less ice time this year and slightly less effective on the PP. Yeah, he may look like he's loafing out there but he's still getting it done.

 

[kenito7]

I completely get that but my statement was more an indictment of the entire roster and--more to the point--scoring from the center position. I love Danault but he's the 2C and shouldn't be anywhere near the PP either so who is the center to force feed power play time to?

Hopefully that can be Byfield next season but, again, that just shows how important Byfield is to this all working out. The entire idea of Turcotte and then Byfield is that they would be legit contributors while Kopitar is still good and then be "the guys" once Kopitar was done. Turcotte is a total question mark as even an NHL player and Byfield has been a disappointment and, yes, it is not an overreaction to say he has been a disappointment.

I know Eichel isn't revered too much but this is why some of us were okay with swinging a deal for him: it would not have cost Byfield and you could really hedge your bets at the center position. The pressure is on Byfield now even more than before and kudos to any Kings fan who isn't worried about his development so far.


Sorry for the double post but just wanted to point out that coincidental or second assists are officially known as "Modry Points" and a good amount of those can get you an all-star game appearance.

Edit - The site automatically takes a double post into a multi-quote...pretty slick.

Hard to believe the Kings couldn't have offered more than what Sabers got for him.

 

[tomd]

He can and will be the 1C next year. He will also have the most minutes among forwards on the team, 100% guaranteed. He still has some life yet - he's 34, not 44.

Look at his statistics over the past 5 years. He hasn't dropped off at all. Slightly less ice time this year and slightly less effective on the PP. Yeah, he may look like he's loafing out there but he's still getting it done.

Blake really needs to get him a legitimate top line winger. That would help the team in so many ways.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

I completely get that but my statement was more an indictment of the entire roster and--more to the point--scoring from the center position. I love Danault but he's the 2C and shouldn't be anywhere near the PP either so who is the center to force feed power play time to?

Hopefully that can be Byfield next season but, again, that just shows how important Byfield is to this all working out. The entire idea of Turcotte and then Byfield is that they would be legit contributors while Kopitar is still good and then be "the guys" once Kopitar was done. Turcotte is a total question mark as even an NHL player and Byfield has been a disappointment and, yes, it is not an overreaction to say he has been a disappointment.

I know Eichel isn't revered too much but this is why some of us were okay with swinging a deal for him: it would not have cost Byfield and you could really hedge your bets at the center position. The pressure is on Byfield now even more than before and kudos to any Kings fan who isn't worried about his development so far.


Sorry for the double post but just wanted to point out that coincidental or second assists are officially known as "Modry Points" and a good amount of those can get you an all-star game appearance.

Edit - The site automatically takes a double post into a multi-quote...pretty slick.

This is the part where I point out it's chicken-and-egg to blame the bottom six/kids for 'not performing' when they can't perform with two shifts a period and the ultra-fun statistic that in games where he played over 15 minutes, Byfield was PPG.

 

[lumbergh]

Blake really needs to get him a legitimate top line winger. That would help the team in so many ways.

Vlad Tarasenko, come on down! You’re the next contestant in “who’s Kopi’s winger?”!!

 

[KingsHockey24]

Blake really needs to get him a legitimate top line winger. That would help the team in so many ways.

Could've gotten Tarasenko.

Vlad probably has/had (Since last summer) another 3-4 prime production years which would've been perfect for the timetable with hopefully the kids being legit by that time to fill that role.

Vlad Tarasenko, come on down! You’re the next contestant in “who’s Kopi’s winger?”!!

If I could still like posts on these boards you'd get one.

Unfortunately I have too many infractions to do so anymore.

 

[tomd]

Tarasenko would be a one-year solution but better than nothing I suppose.

 

[Mattias]

Blake really needs to get him a legitimate top line winger. That would help the team in so many ways.

We have plenty of problems to solve:
- top line winger
- blue chip goalie prospect
- actual power play
- Kopitar on the first line and PP1.
- A coach with Rookiephobia.

Maybe we get lucky and get Fiala/Debrincat/forsberg, would take a lot of finesse to happen, however.

 

[tomd]

We have plenty of problems to solve:
- top line winger
- blue chip goalie prospect
- actual power play
- Kopitar on the first line and PP1.
- A coach with Rookiephobia.

Maybe we get lucky and get Fiala/Debrincat/forsberg, would take a lot of finesse to happen, however.

We'll see if Blake is a one-year wonder as a GM or if he can address the most pressing need the team has.

 

[bland]

You know he'll be the 1C on opening night.

And you know it won't make a damn bit of difference.

 

[BigKing]

This is the part where I point out it's chicken-and-egg to blame the bottom six/kids for 'not performing' when they can't perform with two shifts a period and the ultra-fun statistic that in games where he played over 15 minutes, Byfield was PPG.

But Byfield played like someone that would hurt the team most games if he got that many minutes and, you know, the team was more worried about winning games than Byfield's development.

I think it is wide open for him to take part in the power play next season. Would be f***ing insanity for the staff to roll out the same unit after this year's disaster: just plugging in Doughty isn't going to fix it. Of course, it was the definition of insanity to keep doing it this season so who knows.

 

[Mattias]

We'll see if Blake is a one-year wonder as a GM or if he can address the most pressing need the team has.

I will definitely give him credit on 2/3 of the moves last offseason. Daneau and Arvi were terrific pickups. Shame Lias A did not work out (yay rookiephobia coach) but it is what it is.

 

[tomd]

I will definitely give him credit on 2/3 of the moves last offseason. Daneau and Arvi were terrific pickups. Shame Lias A did not work out (yay rookiephobia coach) but it is what it is.

I agree. I give him a lot of credit for seeing that none of the C prospects (including Vilardi) were ready to play a major role at the NHL level this past year. Having said that, I'm sure Denault exceeded even his wildest expectations.

 

[jgs]

It doesn't look like the Kings prospects will be NHL ready by next season. Byfield definately is not NHL caliber , he looks like maybe will be ready in two years. Blake needs to bring in top talent to make this team a legit Contenderfor the next two years.

 

[kilowatt]

If there are any silver linings here, it's that Byfield did come back from a broken leg this season. A full offseason of strength training might showcase a completely different Byfield next year. Perhaps he can take the 1C, especially if we surround him with, you know, good players.

Kempe - Byfield - Arvidsson
Iafallo - Kopitar - Kaliyev
Moore - Danault - Kupari
Lemieux - Lizotte - Grundstrom

 

[kenito7]

It doesn't look like the Kings prospects will be NHL ready by next season. Byfield definately is not NHL caliber , he looks like maybe will be ready in two years. Blake needs to bring in top talent to make this team a legit Contenderfor the next two years.

How's Blake suppose to bring in top talent without many trade chips, little salary cap and no blue chip draft picks?

 

[Bandit]

You know he'll be the 1C on opening night.

Only because our coach is still a moron.